So much for keeping up with this every day!
I have been caught up in the hustle and bustle of the holiday season and of being a teacher, but I have had the past four days off from school, and it has provided me with some much needed time for reflecting. I am excited for the things to come during the next month! I have some new writing activities planned, one of which will be a creative descriptive writing assignment, which will be a cross-class contest! Students will write descriptions of the people that they imagine would wear particular articles of clothing that I will hang in my classroom, and the students who write the best essays for each particular garment will be rewarded with...the garment! A bit quirky, but that's how I roll. I think my students will get a kick out of it.
Whether they like it or not, I have found that writing--creative and fun writing in particular--needs to occur more often in school. I get the feeling that many students today find little purpose in writing, probably because they have grown to loath it and associate it with drudging school work. I think having this time off has allowed my creative juices to flow (when we are busy, our creativity is sometimes strangled, and we need a break to remember it is there).
Writing serves a purpose; to express ourselves and to communicate. I have been reading many dry essays during this extended weekend. I must give props where props are due--some students have magnificent writing--but in general I realize that one thing is lacking in high school writing curriculums: style. This is my mission for the next few weeks. I want students to bring to life their writing. Now that I have had my rest, I can't wait for the month to come!
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On a side note, I am a huge music fan, and I have purchased a couple albums this weekend that I cannot stop listening to. One of my favorite groups, Daft Punk, produced the new Tron Legacy soundtrack. What a great CD to listen to while grading papers! Reading has never been so EPIC! I also picked up the new Black Eyed Peas album The Beginning; it has been hard not to spring up and flail around, dancing to their house/trance inspired album. I now have some good music to energize me during these winter months. Nice!
Sunday, November 28, 2010
Monday, November 15, 2010
11/15
Today driving home from school I was listening to NPR. A recording of Bruce Springsteen being interviewed by Edward Norton was on, and there was one particular segment of the interview that sparked my interest.
In class last week I had been teaching my students about the Middle Ages. We discussed the Norman Conquest and England's transformation into a feudal society, and also all that had contributed to breaking down feudalism. The big idea that we got out of our conversations was that the lower classes had risen and gained a voice. With this new independence from a feudal king, art and literature were created by the common people as a means to express themselves, make sense of their new lives, and situate themselves in society. This allowed a nice transition into discussing ballads, or narrative poems, which were the main means of telling stories during medieval times.
Ballads are closely connected with the folk music of today, and they serve the same purpose; to tell a story or narrative about one's self and make sense of one's experience. Bruce Springsteen talked about writing music as a means of finding his "sense of place," his own identity. Listen from 23:15-26:00, or listen until 28:00 when he discusses writing music as a sense of self preservation:
http://www.npr.org/2010/11/12/131272103/ed-norton-interviews-bruce-springsteen-on-darkness
I have always been drawn to the arts, literature, film, and story telling in general. I have been writing or creating in one way or another my whole life. This new project, "What inspires Mr. Brown," I think is my continuation of seeking that end. This is just a new medium.
In class last week I had been teaching my students about the Middle Ages. We discussed the Norman Conquest and England's transformation into a feudal society, and also all that had contributed to breaking down feudalism. The big idea that we got out of our conversations was that the lower classes had risen and gained a voice. With this new independence from a feudal king, art and literature were created by the common people as a means to express themselves, make sense of their new lives, and situate themselves in society. This allowed a nice transition into discussing ballads, or narrative poems, which were the main means of telling stories during medieval times.
Ballads are closely connected with the folk music of today, and they serve the same purpose; to tell a story or narrative about one's self and make sense of one's experience. Bruce Springsteen talked about writing music as a means of finding his "sense of place," his own identity. Listen from 23:15-26:00, or listen until 28:00 when he discusses writing music as a sense of self preservation:
http://www.npr.org/2010/11/12/131272103/ed-norton-interviews-bruce-springsteen-on-darkness
I have always been drawn to the arts, literature, film, and story telling in general. I have been writing or creating in one way or another my whole life. This new project, "What inspires Mr. Brown," I think is my continuation of seeking that end. This is just a new medium.
Sunday, November 14, 2010
Day One
This marks day one of my (hopefully) daily recordings of the small things that happen on a daily basis, which inspire and influence me. I feel lucky to have inherited or developed the ability to see into the nooks and crannies that are often overlooked, finding true inspiration in the small things that happen everyday, which when viewed as a greater whole, create a better understanding of our world and our human experience.
It is hard to slow down in the 21st century, and it is even harder to create meaning and find a purpose in a world that is flooded with information, technology, and knowledge. I find solace in the little things that make each day unique; the conversations with grocery clerks, the compliments given or received by strangers, when an often disinterested student really wows me, when I see a father and son playing catch in the front yard, or any seemingly inconsequential event that makes me smile and happy to be alive.
I find solace in reading about others who share these experiences and pleasures, making me feel connected. I find solace is knowing that I can do the same.
It is hard to slow down in the 21st century, and it is even harder to create meaning and find a purpose in a world that is flooded with information, technology, and knowledge. I find solace in the little things that make each day unique; the conversations with grocery clerks, the compliments given or received by strangers, when an often disinterested student really wows me, when I see a father and son playing catch in the front yard, or any seemingly inconsequential event that makes me smile and happy to be alive.
I find solace in reading about others who share these experiences and pleasures, making me feel connected. I find solace is knowing that I can do the same.
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